Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy.After all,you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy.However,they sing most of the time for a very different reason.Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory
Do you know what a“territory”is? A territory is an area that an animal,usually the male,claims(聲稱)as its own.Only he and his family are welcome there.No other families of the same species(物種)are welcome.Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome.If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you,you might shout.Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so,you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him.A bird does the same thing.But he expects an outsider almost any time,especially at nesting(筑巢) season.So he is screaming all the time,whether he can see an outsider or not . This screaming is what we call a bird’s song,and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
You can see that birds have a language all their own.Most of it has something to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.
【小題1】Some scientists believe that most of the time birds’singing is actually .
A.a(chǎn) way of warning | B.a(chǎn)n expression of happiness |
C.a(chǎn)n expression of anger | D.a(chǎn) way of greeting |
A.A place where families of other species are not accepted. |
B.An area which a bird considers to be its own. |
C.An area for which birds fight against each other. |
D.A place where a bird may shout at the top of its Voice. |
A.Because they want to invite more friends |
B.Because they want to find outsiders around. |
C.Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away. |
D.Because their singing helps get rid of their fears. |
A.By comparing birds with human beings. |
B.By reporting experiment results. |
C.By describing birds’ daily fife. |
D.By telling a bird's story. |
【小題1】A
【小題2】B
【小題3】C
【小題4】A
解析試題分析:文章大意:文章講述了鳥兒的叫聲并非全都是在唱歌,而是一種發(fā)出的警告,警示同伴或是嚇退入侵者。
【小題1】A細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第二段最后一句Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory可知很多的鳥兒唱歌是警告別的鳥兒。故A正確。
【小題2】B詞義推測題。從A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims (聲稱) as its own.可知territory是指鳥兒認為是自己的領地的地方。故B正確。
【小題3】C細節(jié)理解題。從you have actually frightened the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting (筑巢) season.可知它在筑巢期叫的原因是幫助嚇退入侵者。故C正確。
【小題4】A推理判斷題。文章很多地方都拿人與鳥兒進行比較,如If so, you have actually frightened the stranger away without having to fight him.。故A正確。
考點:考查科普類說明文
科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Global warming happens when greenhouse gases trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a hot day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows,but it can’t get back out. This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth .The heat and light can get through the atmosphere, but it can’t get out As a result,the temperature rises.
Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us. The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on Without it,the earth would be freezing,or it would be burning hot. It would be freezing at night because we would not get the sun’s heat and light .During the day, especially during the summer, it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter(過濾)it,so people,plants,and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.
Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it,if there gets to be too many gases,the each can get unusually warmer, and many plants,animals.a(chǎn)nd people will die. Plants would die because they would not be able to take the heat .This would cause us to have less food to eat, and it would also limit the food that animals have. With less food for the animals that we need to survive we would even have less food. Gradually, people,plants,and animals would all die of hunger.
People are doing many things to try to stop global warming .One thing is carpooling—driving with someone to a place that you are both going to. Another thing is being more careful about leaving electrical devices turned on. Now, more people are even riding buses or bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air .Although adults do many things to help stop global warming, kids call do just as much.
【小題1】By the example given in Paragraph l, the author wants to__________.
A.explain how global warming happens |
B.show his feeling in a car in hot summer |
C.tell us cars are causes of greenhouse gases |
D.say that I there are greenhouse gases in every car |
A.light | B.greenhouse effect | C.temperature | D.heat |
A.IT only traps the heat of the sun. |
B.It does great harm to humans. |
C.It makes the earth neither to hot nor too cold. |
D.It prevents all the light from the sun shining on the earth. |
A.lf there is greenhouse effect.a(chǎn)ll the plants will die |
B.Human beings are likely to disappear from the earth |
C.Crops can ′t take in the heat lf there is greenhouse effect |
D.Although greenhouse effect is necessary.Too much of it will cause us to die. |
A.What kids can do to help stop global warming. |
B.Who should be responsible for the environmental problems. |
C.What global warming is doing to the environment. |
D.Why cars and buses pollute the air a lot |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
These days it’s cheaper to throw that broken DVD player, cell-phone or TV out and buy a new one. This “ replace-rather-than-repair” mentality is polluting the planet with electronic waste. According to the UN Environment Program, we are throwing away an estimated 50 million metric tonnes of electronics waste (e-waste) per year. But this is not ordinary garbage. Our electronics leak harmful heavy metals — such as mercury and arsenic — along with equally poisonous chemicals that end up in our soil and eventually our water.
You’ve probably participated in a community recycling event and left feeling good about shipping off that old computer to be recycled. Chances are it was shipped overseas where it’s polluting someone else’community.
Guiyu city in Southeastern China has become known as the e-waste city where low-paid workers use whatever means available to remove electronics in hopes of recovering the copper, microchips, aluminum, gold and silver and plastic that can be resold. Any leftover waste is simply thrown into the nearby river or piled up high in the streets, poisoning the children growing up here.
So what can you do with your e-waste? Robert Houghton, President and founder of Redemtech, an asset management and recovery firm, recommends you vote with your dollar. Buy from companies who have a take-back program that guarantees your discarde electronics are handled proper.
“ Consumers want to do business with companies who are demonstrably good with corporate responsibility and dealing with e-waste, ” said Houghton.
There are plenty of charitable organizations that will take your used electronics and donate them for charitable causes:
? Electronic Recycling Association (Canada) (ERA) collects old computers for donation to libraries and other organizations across Canada.
? eBay’s Rethink Initiative pairs up consumers with businesses that refurbish (再磨光)old computers for donation.
? TechSoup has a thorough listing of resources for those who would like to donate or recycle hardware,buy recycled hardware or find a refurbisher.
? The Charitable Recycling Program accepts all cell-phones and has a listing of charities it helps with its program.
? Call2 Recycle has set up drop off points across Canada in a number of stores. You can drop off your cell-phone and also your rechargeable batteries from handheld electronic products.
【小題1】When there is something wrong with electronics, what is a popular trend among people nowadays?
A.To keep a DIY way. | B.To put them away themselves. |
C.To purchase what they like. | D.To donate them to charities. |
A.there is an ideal place in the world for e-waste |
B.there is a good example in the world for recycling |
C.the recycling events in Canada benefit people overseas |
D.people should find a scientific and thorough way to recycle |
A.The UN Environment Program. |
B.Consumers who buy electronics. |
C.President and founder of Redemtech. |
D.Guiyu city in Southeastern China. |
A.Call2 Recycle. | B.TechSoup. |
C.eBay’s Rethink Initiative. | D.Electronic Recycling Association. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Most people know precious gemstones (寶石) by their appearances. An emerald flashes deep green, a ruby seems to hold a red fire inside, and a diamond shines like a star. It’s more difficult to tell where the gem was mined, since a diamond from Australia or Arkansas may appear the same to one from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, recently, a team of scientists has found a way to identify a gemstone’s origin.
Beneath the surface of a gemstone, on the tiny level of atoms and molecules(分子), lie clues (線索) to its origin. At this year’s meeting of the Geological Society of America in Minneapolis, Catherine McManus reported on a technique that uses lasers (激光) to clarify these clues and identify a stone’s homeland. McManus directs scientific research at Materialytics, in Killeen, Texas. The company is developing the technique. “With enough data, we could identify which country, which mining place, even the individual mine a gemstone comes from,” McManus told Science News.
Some gemstones, including many diamonds, come from war-torn countries. Sales of those “blood minerals” may encourage violent civil wars where innocent people are injured or killed. In an effort to reduce the trade in blood minerals, the U.S. government passed law in July 2010 that requires companies that sell gemstones to determine the origins of their stones.
To figure out where gemstones come from, McManus and her team focus a powerful laser on a small sample of the gemstone. The technique is called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. Just as heat can turn ice into water or water into steam, energy from the laser changes the state of matter of the stone. The laser changes a miniscule part of the gemstone into plasma, a gas state of matter in which tiny particles(微粒)called electrons separate from atoms.
The plasma, which is superhot, produces a light pattern. (The science of analyzing this kind of light pattern is called spectroscopy.) Different elements(元素)produce different patterns, but McManus and her team say that gemstones from the same area produce similar patterns. Materialytics has already collected patterns from thousands of gemstones, including more than 200 from diamonds. They can compare the light pattern from an unknown gemstone to patterns they do know and look for a match. The light pattern acts like a signature, telling the researchers the origin of the gemstone.
In a small test, the laser technique correctly identified the origins of 95 out of every 100 diamonds. For gemstones like emeralds and rubies, the technique proved successful for 98 out of every 100 stones. The scientists need to collect and analyze more samples, including those from war-torn countries, before the tool is ready for commercial use.
Scientists like Barbara Dutrow, a mineralogist from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, find the technique exciting. “This is a basic new tool that could provide a better fingerprint of a material from a particular locality,” she told Science News.
【小題1】We learn from Paragraph 1 that __________________.
A.a(chǎn)n emerald and a ruby are names of diamonds. |
B.it’s not difficult to tell where the gem was mined. |
C.a(chǎn)ppearances help to identify the origin of gemstones. |
D.diamonds from different places may appear the same. |
A.To look for more gemstones. |
B.To encourage violent civil wars. |
C.To reduce the trade in blood minerals. |
D.To develop the economy. |
A.Heat can turn ice into water or water into steam. |
B.Gemstones from the same area produce similar light patterns. |
C.Laser can changes a miniscule part of the gemstone into plasma. |
D.Materialytics has already collected patterns from thousands of gemstones. |
A.It is ready for commercial use. |
B.People can use the new tool to find more gemstones. |
C.It can significantly reduce the gemstones trade in blood minerals. |
D.It will bring about a revolutionary change in identifying the origin of minerals. |
A.tell us how to identify the origin of diamonds. |
B.introduce a laser technique in identifying a stone’s origin |
C.prove identifying the origin of gemstones are difficult |
D.a(chǎn)ttract our attention to reducing trade in blood minerals |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Special trees that grow faster, fight pollution, produce better wood, and even sense chemical attacks are being planted by scientists in the US.
When 40 per cent of Hawaii's US$14 million-a-year papaya (木瓜)industry was destroyed by a virus five years ago, work began on creating genetically engineered(轉基因的)trees.
Researchers successfully introduced seeds that were designed to resist the virus.Since then, more and more people have been testing genetically engineered trees.Some researchers put special bacteria into trees to help them grow faster and produce better wood.Others are trying to create trees that can clean polluted soil.Meanwhile fruit farmers are looking for trees that are strong enough to resist worms, and paper companies want trees that produce more wood and therefore more paper.
The Pentagon (五角大樓) even gave the researchers US$500,000 this year after they developed a pine tree that changes its colours if it senses a chemical attack.So far, the poplar, eucalyptus (楊樹與桉樹), apple and coffee trees are among those being engineered.All this can be done today because we have a better understanding of tree genomes (基因組).
However, some people fear that the genetically engineered trees will cause dangerous results.They are worried that the new trees will breed with natural species and change the balance of the forest environment.
“It could be destructive,” said Jim Diamond, an environmentalist. “Trees are what is left of our natural environment and home to many endangered species.”
But researchers insist that science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers.They hope to answer the critics by stopping the new trees from breeding, so their effect on the environment can be controlled.
【小題1】Which kind of tree is not the ones that scientists are planting in the US?
A.Trees that worms can't hurt. |
B.Genetically engineered trees. |
C.Trees that can resist wind better. |
D.Trees that can protect themselves at a chemical attack. |
A.Tree genomes are mapped out so scientists know how to improve trees. |
B.Great numbers of trees have been lost due to attacks by viruses. |
C.Researchers successfully introduced seeds designed to resist the virus. |
D.They think science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers. |
A.Papaya. | B.Pine. | C.Apple. | D.Poplar. |
A.these trees can destroy the balance of nature |
B.everything except trees has been genetically engineered |
C.trees are home to many endangered species |
D.these trees may affect normal trees |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew (腱). And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.
Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch (縫合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection. [來源:學,科Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.
American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.
Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle(腳踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical, it could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.
However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement(侵犯). Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties(版稅). In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.
【小題1】Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because _____________.
A.people did not know how to put out the fire |
B.Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention |
C.the sewing machines was couldn’t work finally |
D.workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire |
A.Singer is an American inventor and manufacturer. |
B.The Singer sewing company became more practical. |
C.The foot treadle helped to make the sewer’s hands free. |
D.Singer made improvements to the design of sewing machines. |
A.Because the judge was against Singer for his surly attitude. |
B.Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer. |
C.Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it. |
D.Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine. |
A.A Stitch in Time Saves Nine |
B.The Case between Howe and Singer |
C.Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine |
D.The Early History of the Sewing Machine |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
It's a fact that we all dream. Some dreams seem to last for hours, others only for seconds. Some of us have strange dreams, some have interesting dreams, and some of us have unpleasant dreams. Tests in the 1980s showed that these dreams occur within 90-minute cycles, each cycle made up of six stages. In the last stage people experience rapid eye movement, known as REM, and it is in this stage that dreaming takes place. Eighty percent of people who were woken during this sixth stage could easily remember their dreams. On the other hand, when during the first five stages (NREM), only seven percent could describe a dream.
However, of these same people woken during the first five stages, 74% were able to remember thinking activity, although they would not call it a dream. NerysDee, who has written about dreams in a book called "Your Dreams and What They Mean" says: "Perhaps during NREM sleep we are sorting out our outer mundane problems, but in REM sleep we are dealing with inside matters." She also makes the following statement about 90-minute cycle: It may also prove the reason why insomniacs who wake in the middle of the night find it impossible to get to sleep again for at least an hour and a half. In other words, until they have missed out one complete 90-minute sleep period.
【小題1】Which of the following statements about dreams is TRUE?
A.Everyone dreams but very few can recall what they dream. |
B.Some people have long dreams and others have very short ones. |
C.People can only remember unpleasant dreams. |
D.More than eighty percent of people can remember their dreams. |
A.between each 90-minute cycle |
B.a(chǎn)t any time during 90-minute cycles |
C.during the first five stages of 90-minute cycles |
D.in the last stage of 90-minute cycles |
A.hardly remember their dreams |
B.easily remember their dreams |
C.only remember their dreams |
D.partly remember their thinking activity |
A.can always remember their dreams |
B.have trouble getting into sleep at night |
C.experience rapid eye movement |
D.usually wake after each 90-minute sleep period |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Do you like seahorses? What do you know about them?
The seahorse is actually not a horse but a fish, and much smaller than any regular horse. In general, a seahorse is about an inch long. It is a beautiful fish that likes warm waters, swims upright (直立的), and looks a little like a chess piece.
Seahorses are an unusual kind of animal because the males (雄性) give birth to babies. Mating (交配) takes place in cooler waters on spring and summer nights with a full moon. The females (雌性) put their eggs into the bodies of the males, and the males give birth to baby seahorses.
The seahorse can use each eye separately, which allows it to search for food without moving the rest of its body. Seahorses situate themselves near deep, fast-running channels rich in plankton, a kind of life on which they feed. They can catch food from an inch and a half away. Seahorses can change from gray or black to yellow or purple within seconds to fit in with their surroundings, and in this way escape from most of their enemies.
One of the surprising facts about seahorses for most people is that they are vertebrates (脊椎動物). They can turn and curl freely, and like to swim in pairs connected by their tails. Their tails are powerful, and they can use them to grasp the surrounding seaweed (海藻) to keep themselves from being swept away. So seahorses are usually found in warm water filled with seaweed.
Now that you know all these facts about seahorses, don’t you find them more interesting?
【小題1】We can learn from the passage that seahorses _______.
A.a(chǎn)re beautiful, and live on seaweed |
B.a(chǎn)re as big as regular horses |
C.live near deep channels |
D.like to be alone |
A.male seahorses lay eggs |
B.seahorses mate in spring or autumn |
C.male seahorses give birth to babies |
D.seahorses mate in warmer waters at night |
A.Their fast speed of swimming. |
B.Their ability to change colours. |
C.Their unique eyes. |
D.Their strong tails. |
A.Eat. | B.Hold. | C.Make. | D.Handle. |
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科目:高中英語 來源: 題型:閱讀理解
Many animals recognize their food because they see it. So do humans. When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat. You can also use other senses when you choose your food. You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice. Different animals use different senses to find and choose their food. A few animals depend on only one of their senses, while most animals use more than one sense.
Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type.The giant panda eats only one particular type of bamboo. Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice. A kind of white butterfly will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden. However, most animals have a more varied diet. The bear eats fruits and fish. The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits. The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet. We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us. In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar. This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health. Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health. Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life.
【小題1】We can infer from the text that humans and animals ________.
A.depend on one sense in choosing food |
B.a(chǎn)re not satisfied with their food |
C.choose food in similar ways. |
D.eat entirely different food |
A.The white butterfly. | B.The small bird. |
C.The bear | D.The fox |
A.the season changes |
B.The food color changes |
C.They move to different places |
D.They are attracted by different smells. |
A.food is chosen for a good reason. |
B.Some people care little about healthy diet |
C.some people have few choices of food |
D.French and British food is good. |
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